Legislation that would make it more difficult to cover up the causes of
deaths in jails, prisons and private detention centers appears poised to
pass Congress after years of unreported abuse, particularly in
facilities housing immigration detainees.

It's official: Congressman David Cicilline has landed posts on the House Small Business and Foreign Affairs committees. These were not his top choices. Early on, he voiced interest in succeeding departing Representative Patrick Kennedy on the powerful Appropriations Committee. That was always a long shot for a freshman and when it became clear that it was not to be, he set his sights on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Congressman-elect David Cicilline has tapped Scott Fay, a former top aide to late Senator Ted Kennedy, as his chief of staff. Fay served Kennedy in several capacities, including as senior advisor and national political director.

It's a long shot. But a new federal lawsuit seeking a major restructuring of the US House of Representatives claims Rhode Island, among other states, has disproportionate power in Congress. From the Associated Press:

JACKSON, Miss. A federal lawsuit that seeks to double or
even quadruple the size of the U.S. House argues that citizens in
Mississippi and four other states don't have enough representatives
while Wyoming, Rhode Island and a few others get too many.

Political insiders say Cumberland Mayor Daniel J. McKee is still seriously weighing a run for Congress. And with other potential candidates for Patrick Kennedy's seat falling by the wayside in recent days - former Congressman Bob Weygand, State Representative Ed Pacheco, and investment banker Nick Pell - his potential candidacy becomes all the more intriguing.

Drinking Liberally, the lefty drinking club, will be hosting Congressional candidate Bill Lynch at the Wild Colonial bar Wednesday nigt at 8 p.m. The event is free. Should provide an early glimpse of Lynch on the stump - and an early test of his appeal to the party's progressive wing.

Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, also in the race to succeed Patrick Kennedy, should have a natural purchase on this constituency given his history as a liberal legislator and broader progressive image.

Gail Collins, perhaps the most amusing columnist in America, has an op-ed in the New York Times today that notes a workshop at the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington titled "When All Else Fails: Nullification and State Resistance to Federal Tyranny."

How many of you out there thought we had settled the question of whether states have the right to nullify federal laws during the Lincoln administration? Can I see a show of hands?

My look at the wide-ranging fallout from Representative Patrick Kennedy's decision to stand down at the end of this term should be on-line shortly and will hit the newsstands tomorrow. The piece focuses on the likely contours of the race to replace Kennedy in Congress. But it also looks at the burgeoning race for Providence mayor, in the wake of incumbent David Cicilline's decision to run for Kennedy's spot.

Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts has taken a pass on the race to succeed Patrick Kennedy, as expected. With Myrth York weighing a run for Providence mayor and M. Teresa Paiva-Weed expected to skip the race - she is pro-life, which wouldn't play well in a Democratic primary and, as Senate president, carries the weight of a much-maligned General Assembly - that focuses the attention on little-known lawyer Donna Nesselbush as the likely woman candidate.

As noted at RI Future, the latest name to surface in the Congressional sweepstakes is lawyer Donna Nesselbush, known for her work to combat domestic violence, among other things.

She joins higher profile women Elizabeth Roberts, Betsy Dennigan, and Myrth York in the rumor mill. If one woman emerges, here, she'll be in solid position in a field that could be crowded and largely male.

Just spoke with Republican party chairman Giovanni Cicione. A CNN report had him voicing interest in the Kennedy seat. He told me he has the "interest" but not the "capability" - with four kids and a small business, he said, now is not the right time to pour the time and energy into the race.